Finger actuated pump assembly

ABSTRACT

A manually operable dispenser pump construction wherein liquid product is received from a supply container into an axially compressible bellows. The bellows in turn includes product discharge valve means associated therewith and adapted to move between open discharge and closed storage valve positions by movement of the bellows. In one form of the invention the product discharge valve valve includes a gooseneck portion integral with the bellows and which is moved out of closed position by said axial bellows compression. In another form the product discharge valve includes a generally circular gasket axially disposed between the bellows and its actuation means wherein said gasket is adapted to move into and out of sealing contact with a valve seat dependent on the compression of said bellows.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Manually operated dispensing pumps for liquid containers have beenproposed in the past, and one having wide commerical application isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,290 issued to Micallef on July 31,1973. This patent disclosed a variable volume pump chamber formed by aflexible tubular member, the volume of the chamber being varied by thetrigger distorting the tube. Another dispensing pump is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 3,973,700 issued to Schmidt et al on Aug. 10, 1976. Thispatent shows the use of a resilient bellows as the variable volume pumpchamber, with all the valving molded integrally with the bellowsstructure.

The use of a tubular member as shown by Micallef calls for a veryflexible and resilient material such as rubber which may not bechemically resistant to many of the liquids intended to be dispensed.The use of a bellows overcomes this problem of freedom of materialselection, however valving flaps in a bellows structure such asdicclosed by Schmidt et al provides for only minimal pressure to beexerted on the sealing surfaces of the flaps, thereby making itdifficult to achieve a liquid tight seal.

In both pump types referred to above it is possible for vapors to begenerated by the liquid in the container, i.e. under conditions ofexposure to heat, such action can force liquid from the bottle into thepump chamber and through the discharge valve out into the open. This isin part due to the fact that the discharge valves are resilient andyield even to small pressures. For the same reason, both pump typesreferred to have the drawback that the spray pattern and liquiddispersion depends on the speed with which the trigger is pressed; aslow trigger movement resulting in a wet spray with large droplets or astream, even when a fine, evenly dispersed spray pattern may be desired.Furthermore, these types of pumps are expensive, requiring parts ofcomplex structure which are relatively costly to both manufacture andassemble.

Attempts to more evely regulate product flow by regulation of the amountof container available for collapse, i.e. reduced volume, have includedthe use of bellows for such purpose as indicated by U.S. Pat. No.3,255,933 to Martin. U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,184 to Stengle, Jr.additionally utilized an axially collapsible bellows to receive productprior to dispensing such by its collapsing action.

Other prior art known to the applicant includes U.S. Pat. Nos.3,061,202; 3,451,597; 3,486,663; 3,715,060; 3,726,442, 3,905,520,3,986,644 and 3,955,774.

The above indicated patents are those which applicant is aware of andtheir citation herein and discussion where believed appropriateconstitutes applicant's Prior Art Statement. A copy of each such patentis included with the application at the time of filing thereof.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a finger operated pump sprayer convenientlyattachable to the mouth opening of a bottle and designed to dispensenon-compressible liquids or semi-liquids such as lotions and the likefrom said bottle in various desired physical states such as in a finemist spray or in a stream, which state is not dependent on the speed offinger motion used in the actuation of said pump.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a pump with avariable volume pump chamber in the shape of a bellows with a fingeroperated actuator which may include an integrally molded trigger, aone-piece molded intake checkvalve between the bottle and the pumpchamber, and a discharge valve at the exit from the pump chamber to thesurrounding atmosphere. The discharge valve will only open after thebellows has been partially collapsed and a predetermined minimum orthreshold amount of pressure has been applied to the non-compressibleliquid contained in the bellows. Until the discharge valve opens to freea passage for such liquid under pressure, the energy expended, i.e.finger pressure application by the user, is stored by expanding thewalls of the pump chamber and compressing any air remaining in the pumpchamber. This delay and energy stored ensures that the liquid will beforced out of the variable volume pump chamber with a predictable andconstant minimum pressure and speed, thereby creating a predicatable andconstant spray pattern and dispersion of the liquid for each specificdischarge, configuration, size, etc. In most conventional pumps, thisspray pattern and dispersion of the liquid depends mainly on fingeractuation speed; a wet spray or a stream being a result of slow fingermotion. It is also possible in most conventional pumps for vaporsgenerated by the liquid in the container under conditions of exposure toheat to force liquid from the bottle into the pump chamber and throughthe discharge valve out into the open because the discharge valves areresilient and yield even to small pressures. This drawback is avoided inthe present invention because the discharge valve will not yield topressures from the inside of the pump chamber but has to be operated bypositive movement of the actuator.

A further feature of the present invention is the provision of a pumpsprayer having the foregoing characteristics and wherein leakage ofliquid from the associated container is positively prevented until thefinger operated actuator is pressed so that the container and attachedpump sprayer may be stored and shipped in any position, i.e. an invertedposition, without risk of leakage from the container. The pressing ofthe trigger or actuator thus not only collapses the bellows and forcesthe liquid out of the variable volume pump chamber, but also opens anair passage opening into the container to allow outside air to enter thecontainer and replace the volume of the liquid dispensed. This airpassage is sealed in the rest position in one embodiment by an extensionpost molded as an integral part of the bellows and in a secondembodiment by a sealing gasket moving in concert with the bellows. Analternate version of the second embodiment includes the sealing gasketmoving in concert with the bellows in addition to an extension postmolded as an integral part of the bellows cooperating with a hole in theclosure portion of the container. The movement of the collapsing bellowsmoves said extension posts and the sealing gasket away from the positionin which they seal the air passage opening in the closure portion of thecontainer.

A further feature of the present invention is to provide a pump sprayerhaving the foregoing characteristics and wherein the sealing surfacesneed not be as soft and resilient as the rubbers and other elastomerspresently used in many pumps and which are chemically not as resistantas certain harder thermoplastics so that a wider variety of liquids maybe dispensed without undue regard to the chemical resistance of suchsealing surfaces, i.e. toiletries, perfumes, deodorants, householddetergents, and insecticides. Each pair of cooperating surfaces forminga seal between the contents of the container and the outside atmosphereis pressed together with a high pressure relative to the area of thesealing surface. In the first trigger actuated pump embodiment, thenon-moving sealing surfaces at the interface of a screw cap and a bodyand at the interface of the body to an outer shell are pressed togetherby a press fit of a round tubular wall into a cylindrical hole, suchcylindrical sealing surfaces being easy to manufacture with theprecision required for a liquid-tight seal. The moving seal at thedischarge valve is constructed in both embodiments in such a manner thatthe plastic memory of the material from which the body is madecontributes to the forcing of a very small sealing surface against theopening to be sealed, so that the relative pressure measured in actualterms, i.e. pounds per square inch of sealing surface, becomes veryhigh. The moving seal of the air passage opening may also be constructedaccording to the same principle in both embodiments.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a pump sprayer havingthe foregoing characteristics wherein each component may be easily andinexpensively molded. Generally, such components are molded by injectionmolding with molds of relatively simple construction; however, thebellows in the second embodiment constructed with a finger operatedvertically orientated actuator is intended to be formed by blowmoldingtechniques. All components are also designed to be easily assembled withknown high-speed automatic assembly equipment, using only press fitswith accordingly no need for more expensive assembly techniques such asgluing or welding, except for the optional gluing of an optional screwcap linear into the screw cap, as is presently done on conventionalscrewcaps for bottles.

A further feature of the invention is to provide a pump sprayer havingthe foregoing characteristics and having a minimum number of componentsand including a body incorporating a bellows-structure, a screw cap, alower checkvalve, an outer shell in one embodiment and an actuator inthe other embodiment, a screw cap liner, a diptube, a dispensing nozzle,and in the embodiment with the finger operated vertically orientatedactuator also a sealing gasket.

Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention shall becomeapparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered inconnection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the several embodiments of the inventionillustrated in the drawings. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container incorporating oneconstructional embodiment of the present invention therein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of FIG. 1 showing the trigger actuated typepump of the present invention in the rest position, fitted on the neckof a container for liquid to be dispensed;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the pump shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, butshowing the actuation position of the trigger and wherein collapse ofthe bellows opens the air passage and opens the discharge valve;

FIG. 3A is a partial enlarged sectional view of a portion of thedischarge valve in the open position;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the air passage shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a front elevation sectional view of the pump shown in FIGS.1-4 taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the body as molded, before assembly withthe other components into the pump;

FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of the body taken along the line 7--7 ofFIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a further plan sectional view of the body taken along the line8--8 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the body;

FIG. 10 is a partial side view of the outer shell showing a differentconstruction of the trigger guard incorporating a removable plastic tabmolded integral with the outer shell as a tamperproof seal;

FIG. 11 is a front elevational view of the outer shell shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of another or second embodiment of theinvention showing the pump thereof in the rest position, fitted on theneck of the container for liquid to be dispensed.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along the line 13--13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a sectional view of the pump similar to FIG. 13 but showingthe position in which the actuator has been depressed, the bellowscollapsed, the discharge valve opened and the air passage opened;

FIG. 15 shows the lower checkvalve in the open position during thereturn stroke of the actuator and bellows;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the lower checkvalve in the closedposition;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the lower checkvalve in the openposition;

FIG. 18 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 13;

FIG. 19 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 14;

FIG. 20 shows an alternate construction of the embodiment shown in FIGS.12-19 wherein the actuator-operated pump includes an extension moldedintegral with the bellows sealing an airhole in the plugliner;

FIG. 21 is a partial sectional view of an alternate form of thatembodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 12-20 and shows a differentmanner in which the discharge valve is actuated; and

FIG. 22 is a partial sectional view similar to FIG. 21 showing thedischarge valve in an open position, it having been shown in the closedposition in FIG. 21.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to FIGS. 1-11 of the drawings, a manually operated triggeractuated pump 10 is shown on the neck 12 of a container 14 containingthe selected liquid to be dispensed. The pump includes an outer shell 15and a body 16. This body 16 is constructed in such a way that it has arelatively rigid upper flange 17 and a relatively rigid lower part 18.The body also includes a bellows 19 formed by intermediate walls 20connected to each other and to the rigid parts of the body integrallyand hingedly at such angles that these angles can easily be changed byapplying pressure against a trigger 21. The modification of such angleschanges the volume enclosed by the bellows 19.

The outer shell 15 and the body 16 are press fitted together, the flange17 of the body 16 fitting tightly over a tubular extension 22 on theinside of the outer shell 15, and an annular ring 23 on the inside ofthe flange 17 fitting into an annular groove 24 of the tubular extension22. This fit of ring 23 into groove 24 holds the body 16 assembled intothe outer shell 15 so that a chamfered top 25 of the flange 17 ispressed strongly against an annular sealing surface 26 inside the outershell 15, thereby providing a liquid tight seal between the body 16 andthe outer shell 15.

The lower part of the body 16 is press fitted into a screw cap 27, thearea of engagement 28 of the two parts being cylindrical and smooth toassure a liquid tight seal between them. The upper part of the screw caphas an extension 29 shaped in a manner to provide support for the body16 and the outer shell 15, and to prevent movement of these componentsrelative to the screw cap 27. The screw cap 27 is formed with internalthreads 30 which mate with the external threads 31 on the neck 12 of thecontainer 14. Both the front of the screw cap 27 and the front of theouter shell 15 below an extension 42 thereof are slotted to formtogether an opening 33 to accommodate the trigger 21 which extends fromthe body 16 to the outside of the space enclosed by the outer shell 15and the screw cap 27, the rest of the body 16 being on the inside of thespace enclosed thereby.

During the assembly of body 16 into outer shell 15, a gooseneck 34 ofthe body 16 which is molded as an integral part thereof and parallel toa vertical front 35 of said body, is elastically bent so that the uppervertical part of the gooseneck 34 contacts the upper part of thevertical front 35 of the body 16, and a hook 36 of the gooseneck 34snaps into an opening 37 in the bottom of the extension 42 of the outershell 15.

The hook 36 has an overall span slightly larger than the opening 37 sothat the hook 36 is bent and under tension, and, due to its plasticmemory, presses a pad, i.e. a semi-spherical protrusion 38 on the hook36 tightly into an exit or passage 39 molded through the tubularextension 22 of the outer shell 15, said protrusion 38 thereby sealingthe exit slot 39 with strong pressure applied to the sealing surfaces.This cooperation between the exit slot 39 and the pad 38 on the hook 36forms the construction of the discharge valve 40.

A step 41 on the hook 36 prevents the hook from sliding back out of theopening 37 in an extension 42 of the outer shell 15. The sides of thehook 36 fit tightly against the sides of the opening 37 so no liquidwill leak therebetween during the spraying cycle of the pump 10.

A flat and thin shield 43 above the gooseneck 23 extends over the wholewidth of the pad 38 on the hook 36, and said shield 43 is elasticallybent against the slanted wall 44 above the exit slot 39 in the outershell 15. The pressure needed to bend this shield is very small so thatno significant amount of the spring tension of the hook 36 is divertedfrom the sealing of the discharge valve 40 in order to bend the shield43. However, the memory of the material from which the shield 43 ismolded as an integral part of the body 16 assures that the shield 43will always be in contact with the wall 44 unless air or liquid comingfrom internal portions of the bellows 19, i.e. a portion of a pumpchamber 19a through the exit slot 39 forces the shield 43 to bend awayfrom the inclined wall 44.

The length of the gooseneck 34 is such that it is slightly bent afterthe assembly of the body 16 into the outer shell 15. If pressure isexerted on the trigger 21, the lower end of the bellows 19 formed by thehingedly connected walls 20 of the body 16 collaspes, and the lower partof the vertical front 35 of the body rotates around an imaginary axislocated in a thin material portion 45 of the front 35 of the body 16,said area 45 being thin and relatively flexible compared with the upperand lower ends of the front 35 of the body 16, and this area 45 thusforms a hinge connecting the upper and lower ends of the front 35 of thebody 16. The gooseneck 34 is connected to the lower end of the front 35of the body 16 by a rigid base 46 which projects from the lower part ofthe front 35 of the body 16. The area 47 where the rigid base 46 mergesinto the flexible part of the gooseneck 34 rotates also around suchimaginary axis in the thin area 45 thereby increasing the distancebetween the merging area 47 and the exit slot 39.

A small increase of said distance will only straighten the bentgooseneck 34 without overcoming the resistance of the hook 36 againstfurther elastic deformation thereof. However, a further increase of saiddistance by further pressure on the trigger 21 and further collapsing ofthe bellows 19 will pull down the upper part of the gooseneck 34 becauseits length can no longer be increased by straightening out to match saiddistance between merging area 47 and the exit slot 39. This downwardmovement of the upper part of the gooseneck 34 will move the pad orprotrusion 38 on the hook 36 below the exit slot 39 against the springtension of the hook.

This delay in opening the discharge valve 40 until the trigger 21 hastraveled a certain minimal distance and the bellows 19 is accordinglypartially collapsed assures that the liquid in the pump chamber 19a isunder pressure before the dispensing action starts. This pressuredistends slightly the walls 20 of the body 16 and the top of the outershell 15 enclosing the pump chamber and compresses any air or other gasremaining therein and thus stores the energy applied by the fingerpressing the trigger. Once the discharge valve 40 opens, this storedpressure immediately forces the liquid to a dispensing nozzle 48communicating with the normally sealed exit slot 39. The liquid is thusdirected at high speed through the various channels formed bycooperating surfaces between the dispensing nozzle 48 and the extension42 of the outer shell 15 and enables good dispersion and fine spraypatterns to be accomplished.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 2 and 3 in particular conjunctionwith FIGS. 16 and 17 wherein a checkvalve 50 formed of plastic materialis assembled by friction fit into the lower part of the body 16. Thecheckvalve includes a tubular part 51 and a hingedly connected cover 52having first and second parts 53 and 54 respectively. The cover ismolded in one piece with an open first hinge 66 but closed for assemblyinto the lower part of the body 16. The sidewalls 56 of the lower partof the body 16 contact the first part 53 of the cover 52 which isnearest to the hinge 55 and thus prevents the checkvalve from returningto an open first hinge position. A second hinge 57 molded into the cover52 and intermediate the first and second parts thereof allows the secondpart 54 to rotate around the hinge 57, thereby opening a passage 58through the tubular part 51.

In the rest position, the memory of the hinge 57 molded into the cover52 causes the second part 54 of the cover 52 to press against the uppersurface of the tubular part 51 and closes the opening 58 therethrough.If pressure is generated above the checkvalve 50, for instance byactuating the trigger 21 and collapsing the bellows 19, such pressurewill push the cover 52 still tighter against the upper surface of thetubular part 51 and create a still better seal for the duration of suchpressure. If a vacuum is created above the checkvalve 50, for instancefor expanding the bellows 19 and not immediately admitting air into theexpanded volume created thereby, the pressure difference above and belowthe checkvalve 50 will cause the second part 54 of the cover to rotateupwards around the hinge 57 as shown in FIGS. 15 and 17 thereby openingpassage 58 and enabling liquid to flow from the container 14 generallythrough a diptube 60 positioned in the lower part of the body 16,through the passage 58 and enter the interior of the pump chamber 19a.As best shown in FIG. 4, an air hole 61 having a lead-in funnel 62extends through the screw cap 27. The lower part of the air holeterminates in a groove 63 on the inner surface of the screw cap 27 whichallows airflow from the outside atmosphere through the air hole 61 intothe container 41. In those cases where a cap liner 64 is utilized, suchgroove 63 extends therethrough as shown.

In the rest position of the pump, the air hole 61 is closed by a post 65extending downward from a bottom ridge 66 of one of the walls 20 of thebellows 19, said post 65 being pressed firmly into the air hole 61 bythe memory of such wall 20, but not of a force sufficient to dislodgethe friction fit between the body 16 and the screw cap 27.

The post 65 and the lead-in funnel 62 have cooperating surfaces so thatthe post 65 is guided to the center of the air hole 61 and seals it whenthe bottom ridge 66 of the bellows 19 is appropriately positioned abovethe air hole 61. Substantial lateral movement of the bottom ridge 66 ofthe bellows relative to the air hole 61 will tilt the post 65 in thefunnel 62 and thereby free the air hole 61 for admission of air into thecontainer 14 if the outside atmospheric pressure is greater than the airand vapor pressure inside the container 14.

The dip tube 60 is press fitted into an extension 67 at the lower end ofthe body 16 and serves to direct the liquid from the interior of thecontainer 14 into the pump chamber 19a which includes that the volumeenclosed by the assembly of body 16 including bellows 19, outer shell 15and the checkvalve 50. The extension 67 terminates in a step 68 with asmall orifice 69 leading to the passage 52 in the tubular part 51 of thecheckvalve 50, such step 68 preventing the dip tube 60 from beingpositioned too far into the body 16 and thereby dislodgeing thecheckvalve 50 from its seat in the lower part of the body 16.

The screw cap liner 64 is an optional component and can be replaced,depending on the surface of the container 14 to be sealed, by one ormore annular sealing lips as will hereinafter be apparent in theexplanation in connection with FIGS. 12-22. Such lips are integral withthe inside bottom of the screw cap. The seal is obtained upon screwingthe screw cap 27 completely on the neck 12 of the container 14, therebycompressing either the screw cap liner 64 or the annular sealing lips.

As previously indicated, the outer shell 15 is provided with a moldedhollow extension 42. This extension includes an internal passage 70connecting the exit slot 38 and the opening 37 closed by the hook 36with the discharge orifice 71 of the extension 42 of the outer shell 15.The passage 70 includes a discharge orifice 71 which may be providedwith any one of series of known configuration dispensing nozzles 48 forpurposes of providing the desired spray pattern of the contained liquidto be dispensed.

Below the extension 42 of the outer shell 15, a trigger guard 72 isformed by two walls extending downwards and creating a slot between themwhich guides the trigger 21 laterally during its longitudinal travel.

The trigger guard 72 may include a removable wall section 73 moldedintegrally with the outer shell 15 and connected with the trigger guard72 by very thin integral bridging portions or webs (not shown) which isaccordingly easily removed by the consumer before use of the pump. Thisremovable wall section 73 may be so shaped that the trigger 21 is fullyenclosed and cannot be actuated until the removable wall section 73 isremoved from the trigger guard. This feature assures the consumer afresh package that has not been tampered with, and also preventsaccidental actuation of the pump during shipment.

The body 16 and the checkvalve 50 may be made of any one of severalavailable moldable materials with good resistance to flexural fatigue atthe bellows ridges, good resistance to flexural creep under continuousload for maintaining the spring tension on several of the constructionalcomponents including tension of the gooseneck hook 36 and the checkvalvehinge 57 and good chemical resistance to the general types of liquids tobe dispensed. Materials meeting these requirements are certainpolyolefins and acetal resins, but many others may be suitable. Thescrew cap 27 and the outer shell 15 allow still wider freedom in thematerial selection including the wide range of materials that meet thechemical resistance requirements. They can also be molded of any one ofmany available materials, such as most polyolefins, and the choice ofmaterial would be mainly governed by economic consideration.

Operation of the pump 10 is as follows: with reference to FIG. 2, thecheckvalve 50, the discharge valve 40 and the airhole 61 are closed.When it is desired to actuate the pump, the trigger 21 is manuallypressed causing the bellows 19 to at least partially collapse. The airinside the pump chamber 19a is compressed and escapes through thedischarge valve 40, past the thin shield 43 which is bent away from theproximal portion 44 of passage 70 by the pressure of the escaping air assoon as the discharge valve 40 opens. Opening of the discharge valve 40is delayed until the movement of the trigger 21 and collapsing bellows19 has sufficiently straightened out the bent gooseneck 34 and thenmoved the pad 38 on the hook 36.

This delay in opening the discharge valve 40 until the trigger 21 hastraveled a certain distance and the bellows 19 is partially collapsedassures that the liquid in the pump chamber 19a is under pressure beforethe dispensing starts. This pressure distends slightly the walls 20 ofthe body 16 and of the outer shell 15 and compresses any air or othergas remaining in the pump chamber 19a and thereby stores the energyapplied by the finger pressing the trigger. Once the discharge valve 40opens, this stored pressure forces the liquid through the passage 70 tothe dispensing nozzle 48 thus enabling a good dispersion and fine spraypattern of the liquid to be dispensed.

The pressing of the trigger also opens the airhole 61 but no airmovement through it is likely to occur at the initial trigger pressingbecause pressure equilibrium between the surrounding atmosphere and theinside of the container 14 is likely to exist. The checkvalve 50 isclosed still tighter than normal due to the increased air pressure inthe pump chamber 19a above it.

The dispostion of various components with the trigger pressed inwards isshown in FIG. 3. Upon releasing the trigger 21, the thin shield 43 snapsback against the wall 44 to prevent a rush of air from the outside intothe pump chamber 19a through the exit slot 39 before said exit slot 39is closed by the pad 38. The pad by reason of its vertical movement withrespect to the exit slot 39 is capable of completely blocking such offor permitting flow of either liquid or air therethrough. The downwardforce on the gooseneck by reason of the bellows collapse produces thisvertical movement and thus enables the pad to slide with respect to theexit slot 39 to open and close such for liquid flow, inward air flowbeing prevented by the normally closed position of the shield 43.

The bellows 65 thereafter expands due to the memory of the hingesconnecting its walls 20, thus creating a partial vacuum inside the pumpchamber 19a. The pressure inside the container 14 is now greater than inthe pump chamber 19a. This pressure is sufficient to open the checkvalve50 by rotation of the second cover part 54 about the second hinge 57 anddraws liquid from the container 14 through the dip tube 67, through thepassage 58 and into the pump chamber 19a. During the initial part ofthis return movement of the trigger 21 and bellows 19, the airhole 61 isstill open, and the volume of the liquid that is drawn up into the pumpchamber 19a is replaced by air until the post 65 closes the air hole 61.If this closing of the airhole 61 occurs before the full amount ofliquid is drawn up into the pump chamber 19a, a very slight vacuum willexist in the headspace of the container 14, but such generally isinsignificant when compared with the partial vacuum inside the pumpchamber 19a.

After one or more such movements of the trigger 21, the pump chamber 19awill be mostly filled with liquid, and each repetition of the cycle ofpressing and releasing the trigger will dispense liquid through thedischarge valve 40 and the nozzle 48 and further allow air to enter thecontainer 14 to replace the said liquid.

In the alternative constructional embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 12-22, afinger actuated pump 10a is shown on the neck 12 of a container 14containing the selected liquid to be dispensed. The pump 10a includes abody 80 with rigid upper and lower apertures defined by rims 81 and 82and having between these apertures a plurality of conical walls 83interconnected with each other, and forming a bellows 84. The walls ofthe bellows are integrally and hingedly interconnected in a fluid-tightmanner and disposed at angles which can easily be decreased by applyingpressure along the longitudinal axis thereof so as to at least partiallycollapse the bellows 84. The lower aperture 82 of the body 80 is closedby the checkvalve 50 assembled by friction fit into the lower partthereof and operative in the same manner as with pump device 10.

The upper aperture of the body 80 is closed by a discharge valveassembly 85 including an annular sealing gasket 86 and an actuator 87,said actuator having a central stem 88 extending through the centralopening 89 in the sealing gasket. The stem 88 includes a body portion 90and an extension 91 projecting longitudinally into the bellows 84. Thestem extension may be hollow as shown or solid and serves in part as aguide to assure axial collapse of the bellows 84. Such body portion 90and the extension 91 merge in a downwardly inwardly tapered conicalsection 92, such conical section having an upper shoulder 93 at itsupper end and extending around the entire upper periphery thereof. Thelower end of the conical section 92 includes a lower shoulder 94 alsoextending around the entire lower periphery of the conical section 92.The body portion 90 includes a longitudinally extending channel 95 whichterminates at the conical section in an orifice 96. The channel 95extends upward into the body portion 90 and leads into one end of adischarge passage 97. The other end of said discharge passage being opento the atmosphere and provided with any one of a series of knowndispensing nozzles 48 having configurations of channels for purposes ofproviding the desired spray pattern of the contained liquid to bedispensed.

The sealing gasket 86 is fitted over the central stem 88 with its innerwall which forms the central hole 89 thereof pressed against the conicalsection 92 in such a manner that such inner gasket wall is distendedfrom its originally cylindrical shape and at least partially conforms tothe wall configuration of the conical section 92. This deformation ofthe sealing gasket 86 changes its shape from that of a disc to onehaving a somewhat conical configuration. The sealing gasket cannot bepressed beyond the conical section 92 because the outer diameter of theshoulder 93 is substantially larger than the extended internal diameterof the central hole 89.

The inside wall of the central hole 89 thus presses against the conicalsection 92. It is also adapted to more tightly engage the edge of thelower shoulder 94 so as to form a liquid tight seal between saidsurfaces.

The outer periphery of the sealing gasket 86 is adapted to move upwardrelative to the conical section 92 of the stem 88 either by upwardpressure applied against said periphery, or by downward pressure appliedto the central area of the sealing gasket 86 immediately surrounding thecentral hole 89 thereof while simultaneously preventing the periphery ofthe gasket from moving downward. Such movement of the outer periphery ofthe sealing gasket relative to the conical section will elasticallydeform the sealing gasket 86 so as to increase the angle of the conedefined by the side walls of the central hole 89 of the sealing gasket86. The largest diameter of said central hole remains unchanged, beingdefined by the non-compressible upper diameter of the conical section 92just below shoulder 93, but the smaller diameter of said central holeincreases with such further deformation and causes the seal formed bythe engagement of the wall of the central hole against the edge of theshoulder 94 to be opened as soon as said smaller diameter of the centralhole becomes larger than the diameter of the edge of the shoulder 94.The above referred to repeated compression and release of the gasketenables the discharge valve assembly 85 to function as a valved outletfor liquid within the bellows 84.

The gasket 86 is prevented from slipping off the conical section 92 andonto the stem extension 91 by reason of the upper rim 81 of the body 80pressing against the area surrounding the central hole 89 thereof. Suchpressure causes a liquid-tight seal between the rim 81 and the sealinggasket 86. The pressure for this sealing action is supplied by theplastic memory of the bellow 84. The bellows is in turn enclosed in aspace 98 below the gasket 86 and the actuator 87 and between the wallsof a screw cap 99 and a cap extension 100. Such cooperative assembly isprevented from upward movement by the inner surface of the top 101 ofthe extenion 100 retaining an annular rim 102 at the base of the outerwall of the actuator, said rim 102 being too large to pass through anupper aperture 103 in the cap extension 100. The cap 99 is adapted toreceive a liner 104, said liner having a tubular extension 105pressfitted into the cylindrical cap extension 100. The liner furtherincludes an inwardly directed portion 106 terminating in an opening 107into which the lower rim 82 of the bellows is adapted to fit. Theportion 106 contacts the rim 82 in such a manner to axially precompressbellows 84. The space 98 accordingly has an internal height less thanthe original height of the bellows 84 prior to its assembly into the capextension. The bellows is thus compressed to a degree sufficient for thegeneration of aforesaid pressure for the sealing action between saidupper body aperture formed by the rim 81 and the sealing gasket 86 andfor additionally maintaining the sealing gasket in its deformed conicalshape pressed against the conical section 92. Such pre-composition ofthe gasket also provides the sealing action between the outer peripheryof the gasket and a circular sealing lip 108 downwardly extending frominside the top wall 109 of the cap extension 100.

In the rest position of the pump 10a, the periphery of the cone-shapeddeformed sealing gasket is separated from the outer wall of the actuator87 by a space 111, such space allowing a predetermined freedom ofmovement for said periphery for further deformation as described above.

The periphery of the sealing gasket is pressed in the rest position ofthe pump 10a upwardly against the circular sealing lip 108 inside thetop wall 109 of the cap extension 100. Such cooperation between theperiphery of the sealing gasket and the circular sealing lip 108 forms aliquid tight seal for an air passage 112 formed as best shown by FIG. 14between the actuator and the cap extension. The pressure for saidsealing action is also supplied by the memory of the bellows pressingcontinually urging the sealing gasket upwards.

When the assembly including the sealing gasket and the actuator is moveddownward relative to the screw cap, the seal for the air passage 112opens for admission of air into the space 98 and from there into thecontainer 14 through an open vertically orientated airhole 113 in theplugliner portion 106. In order not to interfere with the bottom of theconical wall 83 of the bellows 84, such air hole 113 may include alateral portion 114. The airhole in the plugliner may, in an alternateconstruction shown in FIG. 20, be sealed in the rest position of thepump by a post 115 extending downward from the lowermost wall of thebellows 84 through an airhole passage 116, the post 115 fitting tightlyinto the passage 116 in the closed sealing position shown.

When the bellows is collapsed, the post 115 is pushed downward, and alongitudinally orientated groove 117 in the post 115 slides from itsrest position above the airhole passage 116 into the passage 116 withits lower end extending through the plugliner into the container 14while the upper end of said groove 117 is still in the space 98 abovethe plugliner so as to connect the airspaces above and below theplugliner. It should be clear that the groove 117 is longer than thewidth of the liner 104 so as to span air passage 116 therethrough.

To avoid the need for rotational orientation of the body 80 against theliner 104 during assembly to line up the post 115 with the airhole 116,the liner has a non-circular extension 118 extending downward into thecontainer 14 and the lower end of body 80 is provided with a similarlyshaped non-circular extension 119. The internal side wall of saidextension 118 thus guides and orients the non-circular outer wall 119 ofthe lower end of the body 80 into the one and only position where thepost 115 is properly aligned with the air passage 116.

The diameters and heights of the individual sections of the bellows 84do not have to be identical. It may be desirable, however, for ease ofmanufacturing to keep the wall thickness of all bellows sectionsconstant. It is also possible to influence the sequence in which theindividual sections of the bellows collapse by varying the outerdiameters of such individual sections, i.e., sections with larger outerdiameters collapsing before sections with smaller outer diameters. It isalso possible to vary the heights of such individual sections, sectionswith lesser height collapsing before sections with greater height but ofessentially equal outer diameter. Such sequential collapsing of theindividual sections of the bellows can be used to influence the order inwhich the various functions of the bellows are performed, such as movingthe post 115 through the airhole 116, or pushing the upper section ofthe bellows against the lower surface of the gasket 86 to further deformsaid sealing gasket and open up its central hole (increase its coneangle).

The lower flat surface of the plugliner 104 may have one or more annularsealing lips 120 integral therewith so that a seal is obtained uponscrewing the screw cap 99 completely on the neck 12 of the container 14,thereby pressing the liner 104 against the upper surface of the neck 12and compressing the annular sealing lips 120.

The dip tube 60 is pressfitted into an extension 67 at the lower end ofthe body 80 and serves to direct the liquid from the interior of thecontainer 14 into the pump chamber 121 defined as the volume enclosed bythe body bellows 84, the lower checkvalve 50 and the discharge valveassembly comprising the sealing gasket 86 and the actuator 87.

The body 80 may be injection-blowmolded or extrusion-blowmolded of anyone of several available moldable materials with good resistance toflexural fatigue at the bellows ridges, good resistance to flexuralcreep under continuous load for maintaining the spring-tension of thebellows compressed into the space 98, and good chemical resistance tothe general types of liquids to be dispensed. Among the materialsmeeting these requirements are certain polyolefins and acetal resins,but many others may be suitable.

The sealing gasket 86 may be molded or stamped out of any one of manyavailable materials with good resistance to flexural creep undercontinuous load for maintaining its memory of its original shape,sufficient softness for effective sealing against the harder surfaces ofthe actuator and the screw cap, and good chemical resistance to thegeneral types of liquids to be dispensed. Among the materials meetingthese requirements are certain polyolefins and some of the harderpolyurethane elastomers, but many others may be suitable.

The screw cap 99, the liner 104, and the actuator 87 allows still widerfreedom in the material selection among the wide range of materials thatmeet the chemical resistance requirements. They can be molded of any ofmany available materials such as most polyolefins, and the choice ofmaterial would be mainly governed by economic considerations.

With the disposition of parts shown in FIG. 13, the checkvalve 50, thedischarge valve 85, and the seal for the air passage 112 are closed.When it is desired to prime the pump 10a, the actuator 87 is presseddownwards by the finger, the bellows 84 collapses and the air inside thepump chamber 121 is compressed and escapes through the discharge valve85 as soon as such discharge valve opens. The discharge valve 85 isopened by urging the outer periphery of the gasket with respect to itscenter relatively upwards so as to increase the angle of its conicalcentral opening 89 and thus assure that the inner walls defining suchopening move away from sealing contact with the conical surface 92. Thisaction is accomplished as best shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 wherein theupper shoulder 93 of the actuator 87 and upper rim 81 of body 80 serveto in effect capture interior central portions of the gasket betweenthem. When the actuator 87 is depressed, it forces the central portionof the gasket down, thus also initiating collapse of the bellows.Inasmuch as it is the central bellows portions which are normallysqueezed together, the bellows becomes initially centrally shortenedpermitting the central portions of the gasket to move downwardly notonly in an overall sense but also with respect to the outer peripherythereof.

It is also possible to stop the downward movement of the periphery ofthe sealing gasket by a cooperating surface of the liner extension 105.According the upper rim 122 of the tubular extension may be dimensionedso as to form an obstruction in the downward path of the outer peripheryof the gasket. Such alternative construction is shown in FIGS. 21 and22.

In any event, the opening of the discharge valve 85 is delayed untileither the center of the top section 81 of the bellows 84 has collapsedrelative to the outer periphery thereof or the outer periphery of thesealing gasket 86 has encountered the top rim 122 of the tubularextension 105 dependent on which construction is utilized.

This delay in opening the discharge valve 85 until the actuator 87 hastraveled a certain distance assures that the liquid in the pump chamber121 is under pressure before the dispensing starts. This pressuredistends slightly the walls of the bellows and compresses any air orother gas remaining in the pump chamber, thereby storing the energyapplied by the finger pressing the actuator 87. Once the discharge valve85 opens, this stored energy forces the liquid to the dispensing nozzle48 and causes a good dispersion and fine spray pattern as the liquidexits the pump 10a. In such attitude, the checkvalve 50 is closed stilltighter than normal due to the increased pressure in the pump chamber121 above it. The air passage 112 is open and in the alternateconstruction shown in FIG. 20, both the air passage 112 and the airpassage 116 are open, but no air movement through it is likely to occurupon initial actuation because pressure equilibrium between thesurrounding atmosphere and the inside of the container 14 is likely toexist.

The disposition of the parts with the actuator pressed downwards isshown in FIGS. 19, 20, and 22 dependent on the alternate constructionalembodiments Upon releasing of the actuator, the bellows expands due toits memory and the center of the sealing gasket is pushed upwardsrelative to its outer periphery. This action reseals the discharge valve85 and prevents a substantial amount of air from entering the pumpchamber 121 through the discharge passage 97, the channel 95 and theorifice 96. The expanison of the bellows 84 creates a partial vacuuminside the pump chamber 121. The pressure inside the container 14 is nowgreater than in the pump chamber 121. This pressure difference opens thecheckwise 50 so as to draw liquid from the container 14 through thediptube 60 and through the passage 58 in the checkvalve and then intothe pump chamber 121. During this return movement of the actuator andthe bellows, the air passage 112 is still open, and the volume of theliquid that is drawn up into the pump chamber is thus replaced until thegasket presses against the circular sealing lip 108 and thereby sealsthe air passage 112.

After one or more such movements of the actuator and the bellows, thepump chamber will be mostly filled with liquid, and each repetition ofthe cycle of pressing and releasing the actuator will dispense liquidthrough the discharge valve and to the nozzle 48 and allow air to enterthe container 14 to replace such liquid.

While there is shown and described herein certain specific structureembodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the artthat various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventiveconcept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms hereinshown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manually operable pump for dispensingnon-compressible liquid product comprising, a body, said body includingcontainer sealing means for forming a liquid tight engagement with aproduct container at one portion thereof and a product discharge meansincluding a discharge opening at another portion thereof, an axiallycollapsible bellows having a plurality of integral wall segments, saidbellows positioned in said body and forming a chamber for receipt ofproduct from said container and subsequent dispensing thereof outwardlyof said body, actuation means operatively associated with said bellowsfor at least partially axially collapsing said bellows, productdischarge valve means supported by said bellows at one end thereof andcommunicating with said body discharge opening to norally seal suchwherein collapsing movement of said bellows sequentially alters theposition of said discharge valve means from said normally closedposition to an open position and forces product within said chamberoutwardly of said discharge opening, and valve means positioned at theother end of said bellows for directing product into said chamber uponexpansion of said bellows wherein said product moves axially throughsaid chamber from one end to the other, said bellows disposed in agenerally horizontal axial disposition and having an outer face definingsaid one end thereof, said actuation means including a trigger forwardlyextending from said outer face at a lower end thereof distal from saiddischarge valve means, said body cooperating with said bellows outerface whereby rearward movement of said trigger simultaneously arcuatelypivots said lower end with respect to said upper end and at leastpartially collapses said bellows, said discharge valve means includingan actuation arm extending along said bellows outer face and forwardlyconnected thereto at said lower end thereof, said body and said bellowsouter face fixed in a position wherein rearward trigger movement movessaid arm downwardly so as to displace said discharge valve means awayfrom said body discharge opening.
 2. The pump construction of claim 1,said discharge valve means actuation arm slidably positioned with saidbody at that end thereof opposite to its connection with said bellowsface, said arm including a valve member outwardly extending therefromand normally engaged with a valve seat in said body discharge opening,said valve member movable away from said seat upon downward extension ofsaid arm upon said rearward trigger movement.
 3. The pump constructionof claim 2, said actuation arm being in the shape of a gooseneck havinga flexible intermediate portion whereupon arcuate movement of its lowerend upon said rearward trigger movement initially extends said flexibleportion for a part of said trigger travel prior to opening of saiddischarge valve.
 4. A manually operable pump for dispensingnon-compressible liquid product comprising, a body, said body includingcontainer sealing means for forming a liquid tight engagement with aproduct container at one portion thereof and a product discharge meansincluding a discharge opening at another portion thereof, an axiallycollapsible bellows having a plurality of integral wall segments, saidbellows positioned in said body and forming a chamber for receipt ofproduct from said container and subsequent dispensing thereof outwardlyof said body, actuation means operatively associated with said bellowsfor at least partially axially collapsing said bellows, productdischarge valve means supported by said bellows at one end thereof andcommunicating with said body discharge opening to normally seal suchwherein collapsing movement of said bellows sequentially alters theposition of said discharge valve means from said normally closedposition to an open position and forces product within said chamberoutwardly of said discharge opening, and valve means positioned at theother end of said bellows for directing product into said chamber uponexpansion of said bellows wherein said product moves axially throughsaid chamber from one end to the other, said bellows adapted to at leastpartially collapse so as to build up pressure within said chamber priorto opening said discharge valve means, said discharge valve meansincluding a somewhat flexible actuation arm having a curved materialsection forming slack therein, said arm adapted for arcuate movementupon movement of said actuation means wherein said slack is removedduring the initial collapsing of said bellows whereby pressure is builtup therein prior to opening of said discharge valve means.
 5. The pumpconstruction of claim 4, said actuation arm of gooseneck shape, the basethereof integrally attached to said bellows and the head thereofslidably positioned with respect to said body, a discharge valve memberoutwardly extending from an intermediate portion thereof and adapted tomove from a normally closed position in engagement with said bodydischarge opening to an open position after arcuate extension of saidbase portion thereof.
 6. The pump construction of claim 5, saiddischarge valve member being a generally rounded plug having a generallyvertically orientated curve surface adapted to slide along the bodysurface proximal said discharge opening therein so as to uncover saiddischarge opening.